Customer Reviews

Bear's First Christmas

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book because of the gorgeous cover art, but the story is just as precious. I actually bought it for my nephew, who will celebrate his first Christmas this year. This story is meant for 4-8 year olds. Bear begins his winter nap all alone in a cave beside a meager little tree, but is awakened. As the story progresses, Bear meets new friends, and they all end up peering into the window of cozy home, watching a family joyfully celebrate Christmas. The animals don't understand the words of the Christmas carols or the meaning of the lights on the tree, but the Christmas "glow" they've witnessed inspires them to improvise their own version of a Christmas carol as they make their way back to Bear's cave. When they reach the cave, the little tree is covered in snow and bathed in moonlight so that it has the same "glow" that the family's Christmas tree has. You can read the rest......
A truly magical story.

A young bear is awakened from his first hibernation sleep by...something. Sound? Light? Off he goes off to investigate. This is a wonderful story; of the Christmas spirit, of animals in nature, of helping and sharing, and of course of Christmas. Best of all are the luminescent illustrations by Jim LaMarche, who has illustrated many other wonderful books including A STORY FOR BEAR and THE RAFT. Each page is a delight. This book is intended for ages 4-8, but adults may have a hard time not putting it on their own bookshelf. Delightful!

This is my new favorite holiday book! The lyrical poetry keeps my son enthralled while gently teaching a lesson of generosity and love - without being preachy. It's truly a delight to read! Bear's good heart helps him find important things in life - a home, friends and the magical glow of Christmas. Beautiful, wispy, snow-filled illustrations; rhythmical words and the sweetest story ever. Everyone who celebrates Christmas should own this book! - even if you don't have any children in the house. It gives you a warm glow just like finding Christmas did for Bear and his friends.

Christmas is about sharing, and that's the lesson this book is trying to teach. A young bear is woken from his hibernation by the sound of Christmas songs, and on his way to find the source of the music, he runs into animals who are in need of help. As he helps them, both he and they learn the real meaning of Christmas: Sharing and giving selflessly is the source of Christmas happiness.

The art is very nice. When the story describes the bear listening for the music, the artist was able to recreate the scene perfectly. The children in the house singing carols are portrayed in rapturous joy and the tenderness of the bear is lovingly painted.

Despite the author's portrayal of bears as playful, happy, and helpful animals, I think this book is very enjoyable and appropriate for kids 2 and up. I don't think it's a good idea to portray bears like that since they are actually strong, wild animals which should not be approached, but so many other kids books portray them as cuddly, so I can't be too hard on Kinerk here.

What I can be hard on is the choice of font. The skinny, broken, scraggly font is hard to read. It is difficult to read ahead while reading aloud since the font needs deciphering. It took a couple readings before I could effectively read this aloud to my son.

One other problem for some parents is the omission of Christ and/or any other religious significance for the holiday. The Christmas tree is given an unnecessary significance, and the book has a heavy dose of naturalism. This may be a turn off for those parents who wish to teach their kids "the reason for the season".

All in all, the book is entertaining, well drawn, and has enough plot to be read over and over again. Naturally, the book only has a shelf-life of a month or two before the Christmas season is over, but the book's physical binding and size make it a keeper. 4 stars for an excellent book, but a point off for the font.

We bought this book for our 2 year old niece, Zoe. This is a book that both children and adults can love. The pictures are breathtaking. The story is wonderful too ~ about family and friends and a beautiful winter evening.

A well written, heart warming story about the importance of friendships as we journey.Beautifully illustrated, I took my chances on this one by the cover and was not disappointed.I purchased 2, one for my 15 mo. old grandson and one for myself to share with my other grandchildren.Simply stated, a must read for the little ones during the holiday season.

The book is beautiful. Beautifully written and illustrated. I gave this book to each of my students and my own children. Everyone loved it! This author has written several other books that are also very good. I highly recommend them.

I bought this book for my newborn son as an early Christmas present. It's absolutely beautiful -- the artwork AND the story! The story is written in a sort of Seuss-ish rhyme scheme. I read it to him for the first time the other night, and I can tell it's going to be one of those books that we will read every Christmas and cherish. I highly recommend this book!

I BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR MY 5-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER. I DID NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO READ THIS WITH HER, BUT I WAS TOLD SHE LIKED IT VERY MUCH. THIS BOOK PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO TELL ANOTHER KIND OF CHRISTMAS STORY.

bought this for a baby 1st christmas present. story is sweet..adventures of a new bear and pictures are beautiful and big.